Sigma Designs offers the Z-Wave^® protocol, an interoperable wireless RF-based communications technology designed for control and status reading applications in residential and light commercial environments. Z-Wave^® delivers reliable wireless networking at a fraction of the cost of other similar technologies, by focusing on narrow bandwidth applications and substituting costly hardware with innovative software solutions.

Z-Wave^® transforms any stand-alone device into an intelligent network node that can be controlled and monitored wirelessly. Applications for Z-Wave^® intelligence include home entertainment systems, lighting and appliance control, HVAC systems, security and access control, meter reading, and digital home health care. Z-Wave^® brings increased comfort, convenience and safety to any home or business.

Z-Wave^® technology is available as the Z-Wave Single Chip solutions. The Z-Wave^® protocol stack is embedded in the chips, and Flash memory is available to the manufacturer/OEM for their application software. For smooth product development, a range of manufacturing blueprints of the PCB circuitry surrounding the Z-Wave^® Single Chip is offered, including antenna circuitry and filters.

Sigma Designs also licenses designs, stack software, and APIs to chip manufacturers interested in entering the home control space, with Z-Wave^® porting services that assure quality and accelerate product development. Z-Wave^®'s industry-leading device specifications are available royalty free, based on a RAND-Z model, and the Z-Wave^® certification program ensures interoperability between all products.

Intelligent Energy Conservation

With consumers increasingly interested in making their homes "greener", smart home control technologies such as Z-Wave^® are becoming a cornerstone of home energy management. West Technology Research Solutions recently stated, “Given that temperature control and lighting represent 67% of the average household utility bill, zone control will become increasingly significant over the next few years.”

Using a wide range of practical, accessible sensors and controllers available to the homeowner, Z-Wave^® can precisely tailor a home's energy usage by the device, by the room, or by the whole house. These sensors and controls can automatically react to changing conditions and command energy consumption accordingly, whether it's hot or cold, dark or bright, wet or dry. Energy management with Z-Wave^® can be automated, or adjusted remotely, via a PC or a cell phone.

A recent report issued by the Danish Electricity Saving Trust, a non-profit government organization that helps consumers and public institutions save energy, recommended Z-Wave^® as the ideal technology for use in wireless home communication, stating that “The Trust has recommended Z-Wave^® for several reasons. In addition to being an open standard enabling the combination of products from different manufacturers and thereby facilitating inexpensive third-party products, Z-Wave^® also holds in store a major money and energy saving potential for customers.”

Z-Wave^® is at the forefront of technologies that are making homes greener.

Remote Home Monitoring

Z-Wave^® gives consumers practical means to remotely monitor and control virtually any device in or around the home, from anywhere, via a PC or cell phone. This breakthrough opens up dramatic new possibilities for broadly appealing products and applications geared toward consumer convenience, security, and lifestyle enhancement.

With remote home monitoring, people can know that their kids got home safely. They know immediately if a heavy rainstorm left water in the basement while they're away at work, or if a back door was left unlocked. They never worry about whether they forgot to turn off the lights or the coffee pot when they leave for vacation.

Z-Wave^® technology lets consumers see and control what's going on in their home from anywhere, and be able to make changes when they want or need to. Since Z-Wave^® capabilities can be added to almost any electronic device in the home so accessibly, manufacturers and product developers now have exciting new opportunities to reach the mass-market with innovative and cost-effective offerings.

One-Touch Entertainment Control

One of Z-Wave^®'s most immediate applications is its ability to control even complex home entertainment systems with ease that the entire family can appreciate. One remote control can control multiple systems throughout the house, and command components in such a way so that the user is shielded from their innate operational complexity.

Because of its status-reading capabilities, Z-Wave^® can know what "state" a component is in -- on or off, selected source, volume, and such -- and command other Z-Wave^® enabled devices to act accordingly. For example, changing the TV channel to an HDTV program can automatically set the audio system for appropriate surround sound.

With Z-Wave^®, entertainment can be organized into themed activities that greatly simplify the user experience. A button for "Listen To Music" would activate all the components to their correct settings, and can even control other devices such as lights to preferred settings. Z-Wave^® can do this all throughout the home, and thanks its metadata capabilities, also send and receive wanted program information on the remote itself, from anywhere in the house.

Z-Wave^® ushers in the age of the truly universal remote control.